Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Donner Dinner Party
Bibliography
Hale, Nathan. 2013. DONNER DINNER PARTY. Ill. by Nathan Hale. New York, NY: Amulet Books. ISBN 9781419708565
Plot Summary
Nathan Hale recounts the story of the Donner Party, the gruesome and harrowing tale of multiple families and their journey to California, a journey that ended with deaths, crimes, and cannibalism. Using his trademark comic art style and humor to lighten the mood, Hale has done his research and illustrates this tale in a way that children and adults can enjoy.
Critical Analysis
Nathan Hale is well known for his comic series Hazardous Tales, where he covers significant historical events in a witty and a lot of times humorous and factual fashion. This is especially the case in this installment that covers the spine-chilling story of the Donner Party and how their at first happy tale of seeking a better life in California ends for many of them in death.
Nathan Hale knows that his young audience won't enjoy just a boring retelling of facts, which is why he adds in his own funny dialogue to what these people might have said. He even continues his tale from other Hazardous Tale books of his namesake, the famous spy Nathan Hale, trying to escape his execution by telling stories to his goofy executioners. Even though this tale gets very dark at times, children are eased into the scary parts, and even recommended to skip to a certain page number if they want to avoid them altogether.
Hale's style makes history enjoyable and fascinating and even people that are familiar with the Donner Party story may find that they learn something that they didn't know before. That's how much detail Hale includes, and how attentive he is to his subject. And although these books don't necessarily have an overarching theme, children can still find small lessons imbedded in the story.
Nathan Hale's Donner Dinner Party is a unique retelling of the macabre and interesting event that can get children and adults hooked on history.
Review Excerpts
Library Media Connection: "The text mixes history and comedy; the artwork portrays the emotional ordeals of the characters. This book does not shy away from the violence of the Donner story, but those who like their history with a bit of edgy humor will enjoy this rendition. It is best suited for selected audiences interested in American history, the Old West, and graphic nonfiction."
Horn Book Guide: "Nathan Hale, Revolutionary War hero, continues to distract his executioners in this third volume. Author Hale (no relation) manages to balance the tragedy of the Donner Party's doomed journey with the graphic novel series' wacky humor--no small feat. Readers not put off by the small panel illustrations and tiny type (or the story's horrific nature) will appreciate this entertaining history lesson."
Good Comics for Kids: "Nathan Hale has tackled a tough subject and made it visually stimulating, educational, and thought provoking. It’s not the most pleasant of reads, due to the subject matter, but once again Nathan Hale is proving that he’s a meticulous and well-researched creator out to educate, inform, and also interject humor into some of our country’s most significant events."
Connections
More Hazardous Tales by Nathan Hale: Above the Trenches
Cold War Correspondent
Big Bad Ironclad
More about the Donner Party: What Was the Donner Party? by Ben Hubbard
I Escaped the Donner Party by Ellie Crowe and Scott Peters
The Donner Party by Scott R. Welvaert
Activity: With a group, research what a person would have to do to survive in the wilderness for an extended period of time.
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